Chances, Choices, and Changes
by Samantha Lipton
Summary: Daphne knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it. The only thing standing in her way was Paul the thing she needed/  Humor, love, action  Messing around with her friends, falling in love, losing her father, and almost being killed, what a year.


The truth is that Paul had always had a secret crush on Daphne. Which was

weird. Did they have things in common? Yes, they were both incredibly stubborn when it

came to something that they felt strongly about, (only Daphne would be more, 'No! You

can't cheat, it's wrong,' and Paul would be more, 'Hey kid, give me your lunch money,

now.') They both did not take being offended lightly. (Although Daphne would verbally

confront her antagonist and talk the problem out. And Paul would physically confront

who ever was bugging him and beat the crap out of them.) And they both shared a

common interest in school. Daphne was a straight A, all AP* student who was in

advanced Latin, and volunteered at shelters, hospitals, and churches. (And on top of

that she practiced Tai Chi.) While Paul, Paul enjoyed almost daily invitations to the

office. He was very popular, all of the teachers knew who he was. And they even named

a new type of wedgy after him.

But the chances of the two, of seeming different species, ever clicking, was

highly improbable.

Daphne was smart and knew what she wanted to do with her life. It was because

of her brains and her ability to stand out that got her selected to go abroad to Oxford in

England for one year on a scholarship.

When this opportunity came, she jumped at it. Daphne was excited to break from

the repetitive cycle that governed La Push and Forks and start something new. And

since it was a really small town, practically microscopic, word traveled really fast. So,

within a week everyone knew what was happening. Paul heard about this and

pretended not to notice, even though he was a little downhearted. He decided that he

would just have to forget about her. He thought that this would be easy, after all, his

emotions ran about as deep as a puddle. Anger was what tipped his yin and yang.

But, the law of the yin and the yang must be obeyed. Eventually Paul would have

to face the music, while Daphne set out to compose it.

BEGINNING

Daphne looked out of her window into the deep night sky. She couldn't see the

stars, which meant that it was cloudy. Not wanting to sleep on the plane, Daphne stayed

awake watching movies and reading.

But, no matter what she did, memories of her incredible adventure came

crashing down on her and it seemed impossible to expel them.

Memories of her England, all of the friends that she made, and the pubs, the

sweet shops, the cool morning mist that fogged the streets. Her little school flat she

shared with thirty-two other teenagers and some eight adults who served as teachers

and chaperones. All of the things that she couldn't find in her own world. That's

what it seemed like to her, two different worlds.

One thing that was not going to be different was the weather, because it rained

more in La Push than in England.

'Ding, ding,' "Ladies and gentlemen, we are preparing to our descent please

begin to pack up your belongings and fasten your seat belt." The pilot announced over

the intercom.

Daphne buckled her seat belt and began to collect her book as one of the flight

attendants were walking up the isle. She stopped at Daphne.

"Daphne?" She looked down at Daphne with a pleasant face, "Oh, Daphne!

Do...do you remember me? Miss. Lahote, Paul's mom." She hinted.

"Oh yes Miss. Lahote, how have you been?" Daphne had known Miss. Lahote

since she was ten years old. She had helped Daphne's mom bake five dozen cupcakes

for a school function and they had been friends ever since.

"Fine, just fine. Well, there was the divorce, but other than that good." She knelt

down next to Daphne's chair.

"Aw, I'm so sorry." She sympathized.

Miss. Lahote nodded but brushed it aside. "Anyway, how was England?"

"Oh, it was amazing..." She was interrupted by the pilot making another

announcement.

"Flight attendants, please prepare for landing."

"That's good." Miss. Lahote said eagerly. "I've got to go but you're going to have

to tell me all about it sometime."

"Definitely, I look forward to it." Miss. Lahote walked back over to the galley and

sat down on the jump seat. Daphne put the video screen back into place, raised her

chair back up, and folded her blanket. At last she felt the plane decline.

Daphne found her bags that she checked in the bag claim area. There

were other planes that landed around a similar time so the checked bags from the other

planes were mingled in with ones from hers. She got her suit case. It was red with

brown zippers and weighed a ton due to it's aluminum frame and it's interior being filled

to an over flowing extend. With the large suit case in one hand, another suit case of a

smaller mass but similar color in the other hand and a tote bag over her shoulder,

Daphne headed to arrivals.

Many people were waiting for someone, a loved one, a friend, a client, whatever

the case was, Daphne was touched by this. People coming all the way up to the airport

just to ensure a welcomed return, it was sweet. But as her eyes swept through the

crowd she failed to locate her mom.

"Daphne!" Her mom called from behind the pack of people. She snapped her

head toward the familiar voice and saw her mom, her older sister, Emma, and her best

friend, Rachel standing on top of the base of a pillar. The base gave them an extra foot

so Daphne could see their heads popping out from everyone else's. All that she could

do was laugh as she read the large sign that Rachel held up saying, 'Welcome Home,'

in large florescent colors.

A great smile spread across her face as she ran towards them. She crunched up

and slid under the crowd control belt while still holding her luggage. People parted for

her, not wanting to get rammed into by a five foot three girl running at full speed.

Daphne dropped her suit cases and leaped into the air, her family and her all but

attacked each other as they came into an embrace.

Golden tears of pure love and happiness wetted mom's face as they rolled down

her rosy warm cheeks. Instead of individually embracing in a hug, they all cocooned

Daphne, holding her in a hug that was long over due. And as mother, sibling, and friend

held tight to a prolonged reunion the world went on quietly without them, leaving them in

their few moments of joy.

"We missed you so much." Rachel broke the silence.

"You are never leaving home again." Mom said. Daphne laughed, knowing that

she was joking, because she couldn't stay here, and her mom knew that, too.

"I missed you guys, too." Daphne tightened her grip on everyone, giving a last

squeeze and letting go. Mom let out a breath and laughed, she wiped the tears from her

cheeks. Rachel picked up her poster that she had dropped, and Daphne retrieved her

suit cases that she had also dropped.

They left before more people rushed out of the claims area and swamped the

room. As they headed out of the door, tiny rain droplets were dropped from the sky. 'Oh

Forks,' Daphne thought, 'you never change.'

The car ride was all of forty-five minutes. In these forty-five minutes, it was

nonstop talking.

"So, how was it? Oh my gosh, tell me everything! Where did you go? Were

there cute boys? Did you make a lot of friends?" Rachel fired out one question after

another.

"Ok, ok, one question at a time, please. Yes, there were a lot of cute guys. I'm

guessing that was your main concern."

"Oh, you know me so well." Rachel scrunched her nose and made a funny face

that caused Daphne to laugh. She then yawned.

"You must be tired sweetie." Mom looked into the vanity mirror and saw Daphne

yawn and smiled. She missed Daphne's yawns. The way here face looked all worn after

doing hours of tedious homework. While that was one of her least favorite faces that

Daphne wore all to regularly, she missed it.

"Yes, five hour time difference really takes its toll." she said running her fingers

through her layered light mahogany chestnut hair that reached to the bottom of her

shoulders.

"Well, once we get home leave your big suit cases down stairs and go straight to

bed. Ok? Well take care of them tomorrow morning."

They turned off of the freeway and onto the road the lead to a twenty minute ride

home. The trees had started to border the roads when they first started driving, but

those trees didn't belong to Forks, or Daphne's memory. The evergreens that she saw

now were the trees that she was familiar with. They gave her a feeling of, for lack of a

better word, home. The roads, cracked with age, were Forks'. As the first break in the

trees came, so did the first house, and a sign; 'Welcome to Forks.' But to Daphne it

read, welcome home.

Although, she didn't actually live in Forks, she lived right on the border between

Forks and La Push. The school board decided that she would attend La Push High

School. Its student population was smaller than that of Forks High School, and that was

saying something.

The drive through Forks was only ten minutes. Those ten minutes rejoined her

with the town that she called home. Despite the darkness, some people were still out.

She saw Mr. and Mrs. Square, a couple that had married young and had been fighting

ever since. They were leaving the drug store. Then Mr. Matty, he was, as usual, exiting

a bar and puking up what ever it was that he just consumed.

Then their was a sign that said, 'Welcome to La Push.' The border between La

Push and Forks was not a straight line, more a curve. They had to drive through a part

of the town to get to their house. Once again, a few town members where out. Mr.

Longwood, the local fisherman, who, well, fished, was around fifty, with a gray beard

that sprouted out of his lower face and long gray hair that matched and a tan

complexion.

Miss. Fex, was going into the grocery store. Also with a tan complexion, she had

long dark hair. In her late thirties, she was divorced.

It was normal to be tan here, seeing as typically everyone was Native American.

Then there were the local boys she saw walking towards the woods. There were

about five of them. They were all incredibly tall, like, six foot would be the minimum. A

deep tan covered all of their bodies. They bore a similar hair style, black hair with the

cut somewhere between cropped and spiked. Daphne couldn't see their faces because

they were facing away from the car.

"Gosh, how tall can you get?" Daphne opened her eyes wide with shock.

"I know, right?" Emma said.

"When did that happen?" Daphne asked, still looking at them.

"Different times for each. But one day the just disappeared then they came back

like... that." She motioned to the boys.

"What do you mean?" Daphne didn't understand what she meant.

"One day they, like... just didn't go to school," Rachel paused, "and no one saw

them for a while. When they came back, they looked like that." Once again motioning

towards them. Everyone in the town was used to it, so when the subject came up, they

just brushed it aside. That's what the locals encouraged, but some of the teenagers

rumored about it.

"When did it start?" Daphne's brow crunched in thought and confusion.

"A couple of months ago." Emma answered, "Any way, they stick together and

keep to themselves so..."

"Yeah, you won't get much out of them." Rachel finished.

Daphne quietly computed the information she was just given.

"Oh Daphne," her mom interrupted her thought, " Dad says 'Welcome Home' and

he sends his love. He'll be back before Christmas and he's sorry he couldn't be here."

Mom started to pay attentive attention to the road as it began to get ruff.

"Where is he again?" Daphne had lost track.

"Machu Piccu." Emma answered.

"Well, at least he's coming home soon." Daphne got all of her travel inspiration

from her dad since he traveled so much. That was his job, he would go to different

locations, compile information and write articles based on said information and opinions

from himself and colleagues.

Daphne would always convey her excitement for him, but she never admitted just

how much she missed him when he was gone.

UNPACKING

Daphne left her giant red suit cases down stairs and brought her tote bag

upstairs into her room. She lay it on the floor next to the black quilt covered bed. It was

filled to capacity with books that she had bought in England; books on history, and

romance, literature and fiction. It also contained her electronics, a laptop, an ipod, and a

camera.

The camera had also been filled completely. Thousands of pictures held the

memory of the camera and of Daphne's past year on earth.

Exhausted, she sat on the bed with her legs criss-cross. She looked over at the

clock, it read 9:47, which was about 2:47 in England. As tired as she was, her legs

managed to straighten and took her to her little bathroom. Her bathroom had four black

walls, and decorating these walls where golden stars. Each star was placed on the wall

in honor of a person that Daphne felt made some good substantial change in the world

or to her. There where fifty-two stars on her walls. She put them there because they all

inspired her. Every time she walked into her bathroom Daphne looked at one and

thought of that person and what they did. And what she would do.

Her arms managed to find the drawers which held the toothpaste and they got a

new toothbrush. After she brushed she walked back into her room.

And then it hit her, she was home. She was back in the bedroom that she hadn't

been in in a year. The bed, the lamp, the cabinet, they were her own. Quiet whispers

from distant memories shared in that very room welcomed her back. Despite her

exhaustion the realization hit her that one chapter of her life was officially and

irrevocably over.

To avoid crying, Daphne walked back over to her bed, leaned down and

unzipped her tote bag, she reached in and grabbed her camera. Turning it on, she

looked at the photos of her friends and places she had been. These pictures held her

intangible memories. After looking at the pictures for a little while, she became tired and

just wanted to go to bed.

Daphne turned off her camera and climbed into bed. Sinking into bed, sleep took

her, filling her restless body and mind with relief.


End file.
